


Card Captor Sakura: Autobot-Decepticon Edition

by Shade_Penn1



Category: Card Captor Sakura, The Transformers (IDW Generation One), Transformers - All Media Types, Transformers: Prime
Genre: Alternate Canon, Autobots and Decepticons as Clow Cards, Canon Fusing, Chibi!Prime, Dimension Rifts, Gen, Whos Who is a Surprise
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-04-19
Updated: 2016-09-15
Packaged: 2018-06-03 05:44:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 12,543
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6599044
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shade_Penn1/pseuds/Shade_Penn1
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The war between two factions spans across many dimensions and timelines, and now a new type of battle is ready to be fought.</p><p>Weapons replaced with magic, and not knowing who to trust, the fate of both Autobots and Decepticons are in the hands of one girl. One who simply opened a book.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This was inspired by the Card Captor Sakura/Transformers tumblr challenge posted in the Idea Warehouse by BluebutActuallyGrey. I hope this can meet expectations in some way.

She was standing on a ledge, her eyes gazing up at the Tokyo Tower as all around her cards rained from the sky. They were like no cards she’d ever seen before. A pink cape billowed out behind her, a staff in her hands clutched tight. The lights of the city illuminated the sky and the large pale moon behind the tower, but that brightness was nothing compared to the sliver which streaked across the sky, a white tail creating a rift in the night. 

She tried to speak, but found she had no voice. She looked down at her hands, finding the staff was gone and replaced with an ornate red book, but she could not make out clearly what the image on the front was-as though it were covered by a blurry film. 

The rift glowed brightly, and she gazed back up into the sky, watching as dozens of tiny orbs of light floated out from it. She tried to focus on one, but like the book she found she could not, and do nothing but watch as the orbs collided with the cards around her. They each melded together seamlessly, and she raised her hand to catch one, the large red card bordered with purple. A regal red face adorned the top of the card, while at the bottom of the image was a sharp purple one. 

Slowly, the image on the center began to clear, an outline appearing against a plain backdrop and when it was finally revealed- it was a robot. 

The card slipped through her fingers, and she gasped when she saw behind the tower was a great shadow, a looming dark form. Two bright red slanted rectangles, looking so much like eyes, stared piercing at her. A cold dread welled up inside of her, fear rising as she held its stare.

_-beepbeepbeepbeep-_

Kinomoto Sakura sat up in her bed, clock in hand as she tried to figure out where the sound was coming from before sleepily staring down at the device. She shook the cobwebs from her brain, the remnants of her dream fading away as she turned the alarm off. 

She hopped out of bed, her thoughts straying even further from the dream and tiredness as excitement for starting the new day began bubbling up in her chest. She zipped through her morning routine, tying her hair up after getting into her school uniform, and zipping down the steps to the kitchen where her father was behind the counter at the stove, and her brother was already seated at the table. “Good morning!”

“Good morning.” Her father called back.

Touya looked up at the ceiling before smirking down at Sakura. “I’m surprised you got up so early. You sounded like a monster thrashing around up there.” He grinned as Sakura tried to reached for him, her face angry and vengeful, but he placed his mug on her head and kept her at bay as she flailed her arms. “Then again, monsters aren’t short, are they?”

Sakura growled in frustration and ducked back, panting heavily from exhaustion. ‘ _One day I’ll be taller than you, and squash you flat!_ ’ she could already imagine herself growing up to Kaiju size and crushing her brother underfoot. Sakura clenched her fist determinedly; then Touya would have to stop teasing her!

She slid into her seat, her eyes wandering to the picture on the table nestled against a flower vase. Her mother’s smiling face peered out, and Sakura smiled sweetly back. “Good morning, Mom.” She said softly.

Her father set a plate in front of Sakura, and held out a box wrapped in a light cloth to Touya. “Your lunch.”

“Thanks, Dad.” Touya replied. “I have to get going, I have soccer practice.”

Sakura stiffened; if her brother had practice, then that meant she could… With no further thought, Sakura began quickly eating, practically inhaling her food. She needed to finish so badly, and washed it down, holding her mouth while trying to keep from hacking it back up. 

Fujitaka smiled gently at her. “Are you sure it’s enough?” Sakura nodded and her father held out her lunch box to her. 

She dizzily hurried to the front foyer, taking off her slippers and rushed to get on her rollerblades and safety pads and gloves. Sakura gasped as she heard her father saying goodbye to Touya and quickly got to her feet. ‘ _Oh no, he already left?_ ’ she rolled out the door, skating by Fujitaka as he stood by the gate in front of the house.   
“Do you have club duties?” he called after her.

“Yeah!” Sakura yelled back, waving as she glided along the street. ‘ _Where did big brother go? He couldn’t have gotten that far. I just hope_ he’s going to be…’ her thoughts trailed off as she came across the cherry trees, their blossoms falling all around the streets. She’d always been in awe of them, growing so big through the years and still going strong. 

When she caught up with Touya, he looked down at her while keeping one eye on the street as he kept peddling his bike. “You could have taken your time.”

Sakura glared up at Touya, but what caught her attention was a high-school boy in the same year as her brother. She blushed as she looked at him, her mind swirling as a bubbly feeling curled in her stomach. Yukito had been her brother’s best friend for what felt like forever, and she’d had a crush on him for just as long. “Good morning, Yukito-san.” She said, slowing to a halt as Touya hit the brakes on his bike.

“Good morning, Sakura-san.” Yukito replied politely. “Have club duties this morning?”

Sakura nodded and twiddled her thumbs together. “Yes.” She mumbled.

“Could hardly wait to get up,” Touya said teasingly, “she sounded like a monster stomping around-” Sakura kicked him in the shin, and Touya’s body froze up. 

She noticed Yukito watching, and blushed as she sweetly.

\--------

School was bustling as students began to arrive, and Sakura was brought out of her momentary sadness that this was her stop while Touya and Yukito kept going. She looked up when Yukito called her name, and held out her hands just in time to catch a candy he’d tossed to her. Sakura looked down at the wrapped sweet and blushed. _‘Yukito-san…_ ’ She turned, but reeled back as someone had sneaked up on her. “T-Tomoyo-chan! You scared me!”

“I’m sorry, Sakura-chan, but you looked just so cute while lost in thought.” Tomoyo said dreamily. 

Sakura faltered at that, her expression baffled. Tomoyo could be strange sometimes, but she had just learned to ignore it for the most part; she was pretty harmless. She blinked when at their lockers, Tomoyo mentioned a new video camera.

“And I can use it to record all of your cute moments!” she finished, her expression determined as her fist clenched.

Sakura chuckled nervously. “Wouldn’t there be something more interesting than me to film?”

Tomoyo whirled around, clasping Sakura’s hands. “You’re very interesting, and this will show you, you’ll see!” she said firmly. 

Sakura sighed. There was no changing Tomoyo’s mind once it was made, and if it made her happy, then it couldn’t be as bad as it sounded. Still, her, interesting? It was wishful thinking. “I’ll see you in class.”

Tomoyo nodded and waved. “See you, Sakura-chan.”

Sakura changed into her school shoes, and before she could put her bag inside, she stared into the darkness of the cramped space. Her mind flashed back to two menacing glowing eyes. She shook her head and shoved her bag inside. ‘It was just a dream.’ She told herself.

Still, even throughout the day, trying not to think about that fleeting dream she’d had wouldn’t stop niggling at the back of her mind. Sakura would have fallen flat on her face if Tomoyo hadn’t been there to help her with little reminders here and there.

Cheerleading practice however was something Tomoyo didn’t have, and Sakura was doing baton twirling drills with the rest of the squad when out of the blue, her baton seemed to have turned into the pink staff from her dream. She stared up at it, and froze when the end of the baton smacked her on the head. “Hoooeee!” she cried, rubbing her head. ‘ _Not again!_ ’

When was she going to stop seeing her dream everywhere? It was starting to become a hazard to her health!

\----------

“I’m home!” Sakura called, but when no reply came, she checked the message/chore board on the wall of the kitchen. ‘ _Dad’s going to be working until nine, and I think Touya has work too._ ’ She perked up though when looked in the fridge, and found a pudding desert for later. ‘ _That is going to be so good_.’ She looked up abruptly, her gaze landing on the door to the basement that doubled as her father’s office. 

A strange noise rang out, like a laser she’d seen demonstrated on the TV. She grabbed her baton and hid against the wall, her fingers tightening around the pole as worry flowed through her. ‘ _Did Dad put a TV down there? Is someone trying to break in? Why is this happening when Dad and Touya aren’t home?!_ ’ She gathered her resolve; she’d check just to make sure, and if she heard anything else she’d call the police.

Nodding to herself, Sakura cautiously open the door and made her way down the steps. She paused as the laser sound faded away, but there was no other noise coming from the basement. Sakura didn’t let her guard down though, and kept searching through the book shelves. She found no signs of broken glass from the window. And when she turned on the desk lamp, there was nothing on her father’s desk missing or out of place.

A glow caught her attention, and she gasped as behind her there was a soft yellow light emitting from a book on the shelf. Curiosity overrode fear, and she picked up the book when the glow died down. Sakura’s eyes widened in shock, an image of the same red book from her dream springing to mind; the cover though was strange. In her dream, the face on the front was blurry, but now she could remember it with crystal clarity; it was a fierce lion-like creature with wings, while on this book the image resembled an oddly robotic face with a mask and antennae. There was a sun at the top of the book, and at the bottom was a crescent moon. 

The gold lock broke open, and Sakura pulled back. “Hoe!” she held it like it was a ticking bomb, but when nothing else happened, she tentatively opened the book. Inside it was like nothing she’d been expecting. On the back of the cover was a letter, but the more interesting part was the fact there weren’t actual pages. The book had been hollowed out, and on top was a red card lined with purple.

Her mind flashed back to the same card in her dream, and her eyes widened as unlike the dream book, this card had the same red and purple faces on the top and bottom. Much of the card was in muted beige tones, but the image on the face was crisp and clear. Like the center image had been added later.

And it was a robot. A blue and white robot standing at attention, with a gray mask over the lower portion of its face, and a red band covered the space where its eyes would be. On its chest was the same purple face as on the bottom, where underneath that was a gold banner that held a name.

Sakura furrowed her brow as she found the words on the top were written in Chinese characters, but the ones at the bottom were in English. She turned on her heel, getting closer to the lamp to see better. _“So-und-wa-ve,_ ” she said slowly and pronounced it clearly, unaware that wisps of yellow began kicking up at her feet, “ _of-the-W-Wind._ ”

The red band suddenly flashed. 

Sakura reeled back. “Hoe!” she shouted, and barely had time to process the fact before a gale force wind picked up and she felt the card slip from her fingers as she covered her face. When she dared to peer out, her mouth opened in surprise as all the cards from the book were swept up in the wind. They sliced through the walls without making a sound or causing a crack.

When the last card had slipped out through the wall, the wind stopped.

Sakura was left dumbfounded, her eyes wide and incredulous. ‘ _Did…did that really just happen?_ ’ The book started glowing again, and Sakura threw it to the ground. 

She watched as the false page glowed, and a golden orb of light rose from it. Sakura’s eyes widened once again as she saw inside the orb was a plush robot toy. It resembled a chibi, with stubby arms and legs, a wide torso, and two little antennae on the side of its head. It stayed afloat by the feathery wings on its back, which seemed oddly out of place on a mecha, and the white wings clashed greatly with the red and blue colors on the rest of the chibi save for the gray face.

It had a mask over its mouth, and two black eye sockets suddenly sparked bright blue. Sakura jerked back, never breaking its stare as it gazed at her. When it did speak, Sakura tensed up.

“Greetings, human.” It said with a high-pitched tone. That was shocking enough, as the formal words sounded as though they belonged to a much deeper voice. “I am Optimus Prime, leader of the Autobots; and you have just unleashed a great catastrophe upon this planet.”


	2. Chapter 2

Honestly, many things passed through Sakura’s mind. Whether she was dreaming, if this were actually happening, _why_ was this happening, but what she eventually said was-

“You’re so _cuuute!_ ”

The chibi jerked back, his regal form faltering as he stared at her. “I have been through many battles, seen many things, but I am _not_ cute.” He said seriously which Sakura might have been able to buy had he not been the size of a doll and so….so _chibi_. Like Optimus could see her reluctance to agree with him, his shoulders slumped as he looked down at himself. “Though, admittedly, perhaps this current form of mine may give that impression. Did you hear anything I said before?”

“Yes.” Sakura said, and then her eyes widened. “How can opening a _book_ have caused this? I swear I didn’t mean for this to happen!”

“Calm down, I’m not angry with you.” Optimus assured her, and crossed his little arms. “Though I will require assistance in gathering them all. And as you were the one who did indeed open it, I believe it is only fair you be the one who helps me.”

Sakura stared at him, but once the words registered, she began waving her hands nervously. “You’re making a mistake; I can’t help you. I’d like to, but what could I do? All those cards just flew out!” she pointed at the wall. “They just went through the wall like it was nothing. What am I supposed to do against that?”

Optimus rubbed his chin, and though highly inappropriate for the time, Sakura wanted to cuddle him. “Were I to give you the necessary tool, you would help?” Sakura nodded. “Excellent, as I have just that.”

Sakura pouted as she narrowed her eyes at him. “You’re certainly tricky behind that cute face.”

Optimus coughed into his hand, and the girl could swear he seemed embarrassed. “But you’ll still do it, right…”

Sakura wanted to say yes, but hesitated. Did she really think she could do this? Would there be any chance on going back if given a chance? _Would_ she want to give it up? Optimus had a point though; accidental as it were, she _did_ let those cards out. What she did know for certain was that he was asking for her name. “It’s Sakura, but what would I have to do?” she asked nervously.

“You will not be alone, Sakura.” Optimus said reassuringly. “I’ll be here with you. I promise.”

Sakura relaxed. Though the voice still threw her off, the words were exactly what she needed to hear. And boy did she want to believe him, so she did. She could correct him on honorifics later. “A-alright then.” She hunched her shoulders determinedly. “I’ll do it.”

“Thank you.” Optimus said sincerely. He stepped off the book, closed the lid, and stood up straight-which wasn’t much taller than his already short height. Sakura felt he was getting super serious though, so she didn’t say anything. “Key of the Seal…” he said regally, and the lock glowed before a small orb of light rose from it.

Sakura flinched back at the sudden light show, but couldn’t help staring into the orb. _‘It’s like the staff from my dream._ ’ Inside the orb lie a pink key, with a bronze beak and two gems for what could have been eyes and wings extending from them, while the key teeth were the same bronze as the beak. 

“There is a human girl here, Sakura, who wishes to make a contract.” Optimus continued seriously. His blue gaze shifted from the key to the girl. “Should you accept, will you uphold the values and duties placed upon you? To keep balance, to gather the cards, and always be true to yourself?”

Sakura blinked owlishly at him. The ‘balance’ thing was a strange thing to ask, but she could definitely be true to herself. “Yes,” she answered, “I do.”

Optimus nodded. “Key, grant her your power so she may go forth- _release!_ ” 

A bright light erupted from the key and Sakura shielded her eyes. When she risked a peek, the key had started expanding into the staff from her dream. 

“Grab the staff, and accept your role as Cardcaptor.” Optimus said.

Sakura nodded. She kept one hand up to continue shielding herself, and used the other to reach out; her fingers wrapped around the staff and beneath her a golden circle appeared. She gasped, her eyes wide in amazement. Pulling the staff to her, the circle began to fade away with the rest of the lights that had emanated from the key. 

Once things had gone back to relative normalcy, Sakura inspected the staff. It was strange how accurate her dream was about this wand. The same beak, the same wings, but it was her favorite color, so that was a win. “How…did you do that?”

Optimus was silent for a moment. When he spoke, there was a hesitance in his words. “I…just did.” He sounded baffled, much like Sakura as she stared at him. “I must confess, I do not know how I conjured the key, or initiated the ceremony. My memories are older than your planet itself, but I feel as though I am much younger.” He did all this without knowing _how_? 

Optimus tilted his head up, catching Sakura’s worried expression. “Do not worry,” he said in his reassuring voice, “as perplexing as this as is to me, I am quite capable of helping you. I know for certain I will be able to use this book,” he gestured to said book, and Sakura blinked as both he and it glowed as Optimus raised one hand and the book rose as well, “to find the Decepticons and my fellow Autobots.”

Sakura tilted her head. She’d heard him say Autobots, but Decepticons was a new one. “What’s a Decepticon? And what’s an Autobot for that matter?”

The chibi stiffened, and were it possible he seemed almost startled. “Forgive me; I have to remind myself I’m not on Cybertron anymore.” Sakura was about to ask, but thought it was better to take this slow. She needed to pace, if only so she could follow along better. “You may have been wondering why I speak as though I were not from this world-and you would be right to assume I’m not. How I came to be the guardian of this book is something even I can’t be completely sure of. 

“It did though, as with most of our history, start with a battle…”

_In many worlds and timelines, the Autobots stood for the freedom of all sentient beings, a creed Optimus Prime was a firm believer of. The Decepticons wanted power and enslavement over the weak, a notion Megatron felt entitled too._

_There are, of course, worlds in which things are swapped with evil Autobots and good Decepticons, but that is not the focus in_ this _universe. The point though, is that these two leaders, sometimes friends turned enemies, or brothers who have stopped seeing eye to eye, or friends who regard each other as brothers and turn bitter enemies because of clashing ideology, one thing was certain-they were always fighting._

_And this is where we find them, on the battlefield. Sword clashing against sword, both leaders oblivious to the laser fire around them, the shouts and screams above the din or the bodies that began to litter the ground, a certifiable graveyard and wasteland of a once flourishing planet._

_Sparks flew from the swords locked in a stalemate as Optimus struggled to keep from giving in under the weight of the larger mech bearing down on him. “You will not…prevail.”_

_Megatron sneered down at him. “And yet_ I _am not the one being brought to their knees.”_

_Optimus’ optics darkened as he gritted his denta behind his battle mask. He would not allow Megatron to win this battle, or any other battle. “This ends here, Megatron.”_

_“Yes, for_ you!” 

_Optimus grunted as a knee slammed into his stomach and he ducked back. The sword swung down where his helm would have been had he not moved quickly enough. “Fitting you call yourself a Decepticon.”_

_Megatron’s sneer grew. “Something which you and your soft-sparked fools would never understand.” He thrust his blade out, and Optimus parried the strike, but his shoulder jerked forward as a stray shot grazed him. The Decepticon’s sneer turned into a snarl as he glared viciously over Optimus’ helm. “Starscream, you fool! Prime is_ mine!” 

_Optimus shot forward, his sword poised at Megatron’s spark. The other mech’s blade came up, and the two swords were locked once more._

_The Decepticon laughed darkly. “Perhaps we are not so different after all.”_

_Optimus’ optics brightened in anger. “We are_ nothing _alike, and I will not allow you to continue to destroy our home!”_

_“Fancy words, Prime, but you’ve yet to back it up.” Megatron smirked. “Otherwise we wouldn’t be speaking, would we?”_

_Optimus grounded his denta together, but before he could retort, he heard Ironhide’s yell. “Prime! Above you!” His optics shifted upwards, but he could not believe what he was seeing._

_In the sky, a large tear had begun to form. White light illuminated from it, brightening the battlefield._

_“What is this? Some Autobot trick?!” Megatron demanded, but Optimus had no answer._

_The glow spread further through the sky, brightening to an optic searing degree. Optimus had no choice but to dim his optics when the glare became too much_.

“…and then there was nothing. I _felt_ fine, but it was like inside there was something changing. I did not know where I was for the longest time. Around me I could hear whispers, but I could not talk back. Memories that were not my own began to come to me, informing me of this strange new planet and inhabitants I was on but could not interact with,” Optimus looked up at a silent Sakura. “For as much trouble as there is going to be, I wish to thank you for breaking me of that stagnant existence.”

Sakura nodded politely. Giant alien robots were real? It was a hard concept to wrap her head around, something she thought only existed in mecha shows or Super Sentai. “So…you’re not supposed to actually look this way?” It was a disappointing thought; he was really cute.

Optimus chuckled lightly. “No, I don’t.” he looked behind him at the wings on his back. “Though I’m not entirely sure where these came from. These not seeker wings, that’s for sure.”

Sakura didn’t know what those were, so she just nodding along. This was a weird end to an already strange day. Her stomach growled, and with it reminded her that her brother would be home soon. “Oh no, I have to get dinner started!” she scooped up the book and Optimus along with her new wand.

Optimus hung over her arm as he turned his head to her. “Dinner is human meal time, correct?”

Sakura nodded, closing the door to the basement behind her. “My brother had practice, and my dad’s working late. I’d offer you something, but I don’t know if you’d be able to eat anything.”

“Thoughtful, but not necessary.” Optimus replied. “In my ‘slumber’ as it were, I have learned I can create my own energy due to my apparent alignment with your planet’s sun. It is quite fascinating as it is-” he cut himself off, shaking his head. “Never mind. While you are busy, I will occupy myself with locating my fellow Autobots. You will need allies if you wish to round up the Decepticons.”

Sakura shuddered at the thought going up against one of those. If Optimus’ real form was a giant robot, then what would these Decepticons look like? Once back in her room, she set Optimus and the book down, taking a moment to note that it had the words ‘The Clow’ written on it. That left her with more questions, but didn’t bring it up right then. Optimus had been patient with her so far, and she didn’t want to leave him with a bad impression. ‘ _I hope he doesn’t think badly of me for being so reluctant to do this._ ’

She glanced back at him as she left with her change of clothes, but Optimus had turned his attention to the book as well. 

\--------------------

“Good night!” Sakura called as she made her way up the stairs, her father echoing it back. She’d made another change into her pajamas earlier after dinner, and found Optimus still pondering over the book. She hadn’t disturbed him then, but really needed to know now what she was supposed to do with the staff. How did she get it to shrink back into a key? Could it shrink back? She hoped so.

She quietly opened her door and saw Optimus floating over the Clow book. “Anything?”

Optimus shook his head. “I fear for all the knowledge I have been given, I find myself unable to properly use it.”

That couldn’t be good. Sakura still smiled gently at him. “Looks like we’re both learning here.” 

Optimus stared at her for a moment, but nodded slowly. “Yes, I believe so.” He tilted his head. “I also believe you are dressed for ‘bed’. Will my continued searching disturb your rest?”

“No, but I’m worried about you tiring yourself out.” Sakura replied, though Optimus only tilted his head to the other side in confusion. “I now you said you get your energy from the sun, but look outside,” she walked over to the window and gestured to the sky, “it’s only the moon there now.”

Optimus couldn’t express much emotion facially wise, but his posture suggested he was thoughtful. “Yes, it’s only the moon.” He repeated. “Your concern is appreciated, and if I feel that even my endless energy is low, I will rest.”

Sakura crossed her arms and nodded. “That’s right you will.” When she was about to close the curtains, a gasp slipped out. Optimus floated beside her, but her gaze remained on the object flying through the sky. It was shaped like a circle, with a large oval shape on top. 

It was a _flying saucer_.

“More-more aliens?” Sakura questioned, unsure of what to make of it. She couldn’t see any details against its frame in the moonlight, but Optimus pointed out at it. 

“That’s one of my Autobots,” he said, and Sakura could have sworn he sounded relieved, “we must get his attention.”

Glad that there weren’t any other aliens running around, Sakura nodded and opened her window. She grabbed her wand and climbed out onto the terrace. She froze as she realized something important. “Uh, how do we get his attention exactly? He’s so far away.”

Optimus’ eyes glinted determinedly. “We must go to him then. We can’t let this chance slip away. Steel yourself and follow me.”

Sakura felt a rush of determination course through her. If Optimus believed she could do this, even after seeing her at her most terrified, then she had to believe it too. She nodded and quickly swapped out her slippers for her rollerblades before climbing down the tree by her terrace. 

“He hasn’t gone far; I can still see him in the distance.” Optimus said once she was on the ground. 

Sakura nodded, following his finger to the dark shape flying through the air. She skated after it, Optimus keeping pace with her. “What’s he called? That other card I read had a name on it.”

“His name is Cosmos,” Optimus faltered, his tone once more confused as he kept going, “of the Fly.” He finished, sounding just a bit worried now.

Sakura didn’t like this. He’d been so sure before, what made him start to doubt himself? “Everything will be okay.” She assured him.

Optimus looked at her, and nodded. 

Sakura found that they were gaining on the saucer- _Cosmos_ , she reminded herself-and was glad he didn’t feel the need to go any faster. Out of nowhere, a dark jet appeared behind Cosmos and slammed its nosecone against the oval dome. Cosmos jerked to the right, only for the jet to _disappear_ and move to that direction and slammed into the saucer again. “What’s it doing? What’s going on?”

“What you’re seeing is a Decepticon.” Optimus said gravely. “I had hoped we’d gain allies before facing one of them.”

Sakura felt fear take over her earlier enthusiasm. If these Decepticons were willing to hurt the Autobots without a second thought, how willing would it be to hurt her? When the jet slammed down onto the oval top again, Cosmos began to drop at a rapid speed. He fell to the ground, a crash ringing out not far from them. 

_‘That…that wasn’t very nice!_ ’ Sakura felt anger beat back fear. She didn’t know much about these aliens, but if this Cosmos was one of Optimus’ friends, she wasn’t going to let some bully hurt him. She snatched Optimus out of the air, and began to skate faster.

When she reached the area Cosmos had landed in, his form was in a crater on the ground of the parkway. Optimus wrangled himself out of Sakura’s grip and flew over to the ship. 

“Cosmos, my friend, are you alright?”

A groan came from the ship. “He got me by surprise, but I’m, sir.” Cosmos said weakly but assuring. “Look out!”

Sakura jerked back as the same jet whizzed past her, and before her eyes it _transformed_. She could only stare dumbly as a black and purple mecha around her brother’s height with a set of wings sporting purple badges on them snagged Optimus of the air. “H-Hoe!?” 

The mecha ignored her as it sneered down at Optimus. “The great Optimus Prime,” it said mockingly, “some leader you are.”

“Release me, Skywarp.” Optimus said as he wriggled in the mecha’s grasp, but the robot only laughed.

“You gonna make me? I’d like to see you try.”

Sakura’s temper rose. “Let him go!” she stiffened when the robot turned its gaze to her, two eerie red eyes staring back at her. 

It sneered again. “What’s this? The mighty Autoscrap leader needs help from a Fleshy?” he shook Optimus, who let out a low groan.

Sakura only got angrier and held her staff like a baseball bat. She didn’t know if hitting it would help, but she wouldn’t let him hurt Optimus anymore. “I said let him go!”

“And _I’m_ telling you to beat it Fleshy-” Abruptly, the robot’s expression froze. It stared at her, no, not her, the _wand_. He reeled back, his features morphing into a cross between shock and terror. “Oh frag no, I’m not letting you catch me with that thing!” 

Without warning, he threw Optimus at her. On instinct, Sakura lifted her arms to shield herself, but felt no impact. Optimus floated in front of her, and she looked past him in time to see the robot disappear before their eyes. 

Sakura grabbed Optimus and hugged him. “Are you okay? Did it hurt you?”

Optimus once more wriggled from her grasp, his posture embarrassed. “I am fine. This form may be small, but it is soft and durable-surprisingly.”

“How did you get like that, sir?” Sakura looked over at the spaceship, but flinched when she found instead a chubby robot barely any taller than her was rubbing its head. 

“You didn’t tell me you could all change shapes!” she accused.

Optimus coughed. “Yes, well. One thing at a time. Cosmos, it’s good to see you; I just wish this had been under better circumstance but I am glad you are okay. Sakura, I didn’t tell you because I honest didn’t _know_ if we were still able to transform. I have tried when you were not in your room, but it appears only I am afflicted by this.”

Sakura still felt annoyed he’d left out something so important, but walked over to the robot. He looked back at her, and she noticed that he had a similar face mask covering his mouth and two red eyes that were less eerie than the purple robot’s. Her eyes flickered suddenly to his shoulder, and her eyes widened as she saw the same purple face staring back at her. “I…I thought you were an Autobot?”

“What?” Cosmos sounded genuinely confused. His gaze looked down at his shoulder, and he jumped when he saw the decal. He hurriedly tried scratching at it, but let out a screech when nothing happened. His gaze landed on Optimus. “I swear; I don’t know how this happened! I’d never betray the Autobots!”

Optimus was silent. “If you are certain, will you allow Sakura to contain you without a fight?”

Cosmos looked at the staff, but clenched his fists and nodded sharply. “If that’s what it takes.”

“I will contemplate how this could have happened then.” Optimus said quietly. He nodded at Sakura, who was still swimming in confusion, but raised her staff above her head.

“Return to the guise you weren’t meant to be in,” the same golden circle appeared under Sakura, “Cosmos!” When she brought the staff, a shell of a card appeared. Cosmos’ form slowly began to dissolve, and wisps of yellow were sucked into the card. As the glow faded, Cosmos’ card floated over to Sakura, who looked sadly down at him. “Everything will be alright.” She said softly. 

Optimus didn’t meet her gaze, his posture morose. “I hope so too.”

“At least though, we found one of your friends.” Sakura said trying to look on the bright side.

Optimus gave her an even stare. “We did.” He didn’t sound enthused, but slowly a glint appeared in his eyes. “And I will do my best to find out what happened.” He reaffirmed.

Sakura smiled gently. “Then let’s head back, it’s going to be a big day for both of us then.”

“I look forward to working by your side, Sakura.”

Sakura nodded back at him, and both of them headed home. Tomorrow was going to be a big day indeed.


	3. Chapter 3

“Sakura? Sakura!”

Furrowing her brow, Sakura’s ears were ringing and she struggled to place the voice that was talking over it. ‘ _Did I leave the TV on?_ ’ When she opened her eyes, she met a solid blue gaze in a gray face. 

Sakura jerked back in surprise as she let out a startled scream, but slowly she began remembering what happened last night. ‘ _That’s right, OP-chan said I was going to be a Cardcaptor, and help round up his friends and enemies._ ’ She felt a rush of anger when she remembered that bully and how he’d rough-handled Optimus and attacked Cosmos.

Sakura blinked. ‘ _Cosmos…has a Decepticon badge._ ’ She thought sadly. “Good morning, OP-chan.”

“Good morning, Sak-” Optimus paused. “OP-chan?” he questioned bemused.

Sakura beamed at him. “It’s cute, isn’t it?”

Optimus shook his head. “Anyway, that,” he pointed at the clock, “has been ringing for the past three minutes. It’s not an alarm, is it?”

Sakura scratched her cheek nervously. “It kinda is, but it’s not for danger. It’s so I’ll wake up in time to get ready for school.”

Optimus tilted his head. “That’s a learning facility for human sparklings-I mean _children_ , correct?”

Sakura nodded. She looked up suddenly when she heard the footsteps outside her room. “Don’t move!” she whispered urgently.

Optimus dropped onto his backside just before the door opened. Touya peered in, his expression bored. “What was that noise? I couldn’t tell if it was a scream or just you snoring. You can never really know with a monster.”

Sakura growled. She threw one of her pillows at the door, only for Touya to close it just in time. She glared at him when he peeked back in. “What do you want?” she demanded.

“Dad sent me up here to tell you breakfast is ready.” Touya’s gaze shifted to Optimus, his eyes narrowing as he locked gazes with the chibi. “Where did you get that?”

Sakura glanced nervously between Optimus and her brother. “It’s new.” She said tersely. 

She saw Touya’s stare turn into a glare as he gazed suspiciously down at Optimus, who remained as still as could be. Finally, Touya broke the staring contest first and looked back at Sakura. “Just get ready, and try not to stomp your giant feet so much this morning.”

Sakura growled again, but pouted when she had no other pillow to throw at him as her brother left. She sighed and saw Optimus slump over in relief. “Sorry about that, he can be a real pain.”

“It’s quite alright.” Optimus said reassuringly. “I’ve dealt with true pains before, and that was mild compared to them.”

Sakura nodded, if a bit curious again about the life of a giant alien robot, and climbed out of bed to gather up her uniform. After changing and coming back into the room from the bathroom, she found Optimus staring down at Cosmos’ card. “Did you find anything out?”

“Nothing that will help us, but it does give me piece of mind-to an extent.” Optimus said. Sakura gestured for him to continue as she began brushing her hair. “Apparently just as I am aligned with the sun, so will the cards be matched to the moon if they fall under that jurisdiction. Under the sun is fire, earth and light, and so those cards and their subordinates will fall under the Autobot faction.”

Optimus didn’t continue, but Sakura knew from how sad he was last night: she could take a wild guess at what the other jurisdiction was. “The moon is the Decepticons?”

The chibi nodded. “Dark, water, and wind. Cosmos falls under wind, so it explains why he has the Decepticon symbol.”

“At least he’s still your friend, right?” Sakura wanted to stay on the positive side. Cosmos hadn’t _seemed_ bad.

“That is correct.” Optimus still appeared hesitant about something though. “In my memory searching, I’ve discovered a fact about magic, about the cards specifically. In order for the cards to be truly caught and not run amuck when their power is used, you must write your name on it to declare ownership so you can use their power.”

Sakura furrowed her brow. “It sounds like you don’t agree with this.”

“The war between our people was fought for many reasons-energon, political control-but mainly it was about the freedom of autonomy.” Optimus explained. “It would feel hypocritical of me to stand by and allow you to _own_ my troops or even my enemies. But I know that if they are not brought under control this world will suffer for it.” He shook his head. “I just don’t know how to reconcile the two.”

Sakura didn’t claim to be the brightest, or the most perceptive, but she could see that this difficulty weighed heavily on Optimus’ tiny shoulders. “Then…then I won’t be their master!” she declared. Optimus looked up at her suddenly, and she felt a fire burn inside. “I’ll be their friend, and only write my name if they’ll let me.”

“What about the Decepticons?”

Sakura bit her lip, but saw the Clow book and got an idea. “They’ll get a time out. We can keep them in the Clow book until they agree not to do anything bad, but I won’t force them to obey.”

Optimus still didn’t seem too happy, and he sighed again. “For now it’s the best I could hope for.” He agreed reluctantly.

“You’ll see, everything will be alright.” Sakura said sweetly. Optimus didn’t answer as she tied up her hair. Once that was done, she looked at Cosmos. “I don’t know if you’ve heard us or not,” it felt silly to talk to a card, but this was no ordinary one, “but I promise I won’t use my pen on you unless you allow me too. I want us to be friends too, and I hope you’ll lend me your power.”

For a moment nothing happened, but then slowly Cosmos’ card lifted itself into the air. He floated over to the pen, hovering over it.

Sakura smiled sincerely. “Thank you.” She said and gently wrote her name on the bottom. She held the card close and cuddled it against her. ‘ _If only you could come out, then maybe Optimus won’t be lonely by himself._ ’ 

She heard a faint gasp near her ear, and blinked when she felt a weight settle in her arms. Sakura looked down, and she was torn between confusion and the overwhelming urge to scream _so cuuuute_. An even smaller version of Cosmos had appeared, and he was designed much like a plush toy as well. “How...?” She looked to Optimus, but he seemed just as baffled.

“I’m…not sure. Did you do anything?” Optimus questioned.

Sakura held Cosmos in one arm as she tapped her chin. “Well, I was thinking of how lonely you were going to be. I didn’t want you feel sadder, and wished that Cosmos could come out of his card.”

“Hmm.” Optimus rubbed his own chin thoughtfully. “Very interesting. Perhaps due to your, ahem, desire for me to have company, your magic reacted to it.” 

Sakura blinked, tilting her head. Had she really done this? She looked down at Cosmos and held him at arms-length, who stared back at her with giant red eyes. At least his weren’t scary, but she did giggle at the thought of that bully Skywarp in the form of a chibi. “Well, I do like plushies.” She admitted sheepishly. 

“Please put me down.” Cosmos said softly.

Sakura flushed. “Right, sorry.” She placed Cosmos on her desk by Optimus, who nodded at the bot. “I’m sure you have a lot to talk about. If you get bored, you can watch TV, but keep the volume down.” She shouldered her backpack and waved to them both. “Have a nice day.” She called before closing the door.

Alone, Cosmos looked at Optimus with confusion. “Sir, if I may ask, is this a recharge malfunction, or are we really on a strange planet as magically beings?”

“No, this is not a dream.” Optimus patted Cosmos on the shoulder. “Take heed, my friend. Sakura may be young, but she will do her best. She has both a good heart, and strong magic.”

Cosmos nodded in agreement. “She did make Skywarp flee.” But at the mention of the Deception, his shoulders slumped. “Though I must confess, sir, I have been receiving… _messages_. My comm doesn’t work, but I keep hearing a voice speaking to me.” his voice lowered. “It’s Soundwave. The messages don’t last very long, but I get the feeling he’s looking for someone.”

Optimus sighed heavily. He had a theory of why the Decepticon could still achieve intercommunications. He concentrated on Soundwave, like he had when he thought of Cosmos and Skywarp last night. It was strange, but the information flowed through his mind. ‘ _Soundwave of the Wind, yes, he_ is _the only one who could speak without a comm. This is not good._ ’ 

“Soundwave has a special power even in this form as well it seems.” Optimus said heavily. “He can communicate with other cards, but if he only trying to rally the Decepticons is unknown to me.”

“Do…do you think he’s trying to find Megatron?” Cosmos asked worriedly. He looked frightened at the prospect the Decepticon leader could have been brought to this world along with them.

Optimus though knew better. “Megatron…is otherwise pre-occupied. Fear not, we will have no trouble from him.” he said firmly. ‘ _At least for now._ ’ 

And by the time Megatron did appear, Optimus sincerely hoped Sakura would be ready to face him. 

\-------

Sakura was having a good morning. She’d left OP-chan and Cosmos-chan to mingle and hoped they had a good day too. Sure, Touya made another remark against her being a Kaiju, but a swift kick in the leg had him reeling as she ate her breakfast. She’d even made a stop by Yukito’s house and he gave her a flower! This was huge. 

The first inkling of something being off though was when she arrived in the courtyard of Tomoeda Elementary. The statue that stood in the center had wide blue paint streaks against the white marble. _‘Who would deface our school statue?_ ’

And why would they only get one spot?

“Morning, Sakura-chan.”

The girl blinked and looked over as Tomoyo walked up next to her. “Morning, Tomoyo-chan. Do you have morning duties too?”

“No, but I know you’re in charge of classroom cleaning, and I wanted to be here early to help.” Tomoyo said sincerely.

Sakura rubbed the back of her neck, smiling. “That’s so nice.”

Tomoyo clenched her fist as she stared determined at the sky. “And I will capture any moment I can of your adorable cleaning on my camera!”

Sakura faltered. “That’s…nice? Uh, you brought your camera to school?”

The other girl nodded and fished a bulky black video recorder from her school bag. “I have something to show you. I recorded it last night. It’s really interesting.”

Sakura tilted her head. “Oh? Well, can’t wait to see it.”

Tomoyo beamed as she put her camera away. “I knew you’d be excited. You’re not going to believe what I managed to film.”

Okay, now Sakura was starting to get curious. “What is it?”

Tomoyo wagged her finger playfully. “Can’t tell you, otherwise it wouldn’t be a surprise.” She hung her head as she clasped her hands together. “Though I really want to, but I must be strong,” her expression became determined again, “so I will resist giving into your cuteness and telling you! The suspense must be maintained.”

 _‘Just what did Tomoyo-chan see last night?_ ’ Sakura wondered. ‘ _Now I’m gonna be thinking about it until lunch too!_ ’ she hung her head as she and Tomoyo made their way to their homeroom. 

Cries of dismay and anguish had Sakura’s head snapping up. Her eyes widened as she found a group of students from their classroom standing outside the doorway. “What’s going on?” she asked Rika, Naoko, and Chiharu once she saw them.

Rika pointed to the class. “It’s bad; someone broke in last night and vandalized the classroom.”

Sakura gasped and weaved through the crowd until she fell through into the class. What she saw had her jaw dropping. 

Desks and chairs were thrown against the walls, the windows were cracked, and chalk was splattered along the floor. Along with the damage of broken desks and scattered papers, was the stark contrast of bright blue paint against the ceiling. ‘ _It’s…it’s just like the statues._ ’

“Who would do something like this?” She heard another student ask fearfully.

“Do you think anyone else’s room has been damaged?” Yet another questioned.

The last one was what had Sakura nearly weeping. “We still have to clean up, don’t we?”

\--------------------------

“That wasn’t fun.” Sakura said as she closed the door once Tomoyo walked in. They had come straight to her home from school, and after doing the bulk of the work to get the broken supplies outside for the janitors to take care of, they had straightened up the still manageable desks and chairs. That blue paint was harder to reach though. 

“Though we did get the rest of our classes off.” Tomoyo pointed out.

Sakura nodded. “True. You can go on up to my room, I’ll bring us snacks.”

“Okay, Sakura-chan.” Tomoyo called before making her way up the steps. 

Sakura took out one of the trays from the cupboards and prepared two snack treats and glasses of juice. It was only when she got to her room did she remember the two chibis. _‘I really hope they turned the TV off.’_ she nervously opened the door, and held back her sigh of relief when she saw the dark screen of her television.

Tomoyo was kneeling on a pillow, and took her camera out of her bag. She beamed at Sakura. “That looks delicious; you’re such a good cook.”

Sakura smiled, blushing bashfully as she set the tray between them. “It’s nothing. I just thought we could eat something.”

Tomoyo smiled again, but then blinked when she looked at the bed. Sakura saw her gaze land on Optimus as he hung over the bed and…a little spaceship? 

‘ _How can Cosmos-chan be even more adorable?’_ Sakura wondered. It took all she had not to pick him up again and cuddle him by questioning the fact he could apparently still transform.

“I didn’t know you liked mecha.” Tomoyo said, breaking Sakura out of her thoughts.

“Oh, yeah, I do. It’s just an interest I picked up recently.” Sakura said sheepishly. “I know they’re for little kids, but I couldn’t help myself when I saw them.”

Tomoyo clasped her hands again and placed them on the side of her cheek with a smile. “Well, they’re just as cute as you, so it’s no wonder you’d have them.”

Sakura laughed nervously and rubbed the back of her neck. “Are you gonna show me your video now?”

Tomoyo blinked in surprise. “Yes, that’s right.” She opened the little view screen and pressed play. 

Sakura saw the night sky, but then her stomach dropped. Coming into view was a spaceship that was shadowed by the moon. It floated sedately through the air, but the peace was soon disturbed by a fast-flying jet that smacked against the saucer. “And…you made this?”

“No, I saw it from my room last night. It was so surprising to see a flying saucer that I just had to film it.” Tomoyo said. Sakura was silently freaking out, and it was not helped when Tomoyo continued. “I know we can’t see anything, but luckily my camera had a zoom function.” She beamed and pressed another button, allowing the video show more clearly that was it a black and purple jet, and a green and red saucer.

‘ _Not good, not good…’_ Sakura chanted. She jumped when Tomoyo’s voice cut into her thoughts again.

“Wait, why does your saucer toy look like the one on the video?” she looked between the image on screen and the plush doll lying on the bed.

Sakura could practically see Cosmos’ nervousness as he struggled not to move. “Um, you’re imagining it?” Tomoyo stared at her, and Sakura’s shoulders slumped. “Yeah, I didn’t think you’d buy it either.”

“Sakura-chan, what’s going on?”

Sakura didn’t know what compelled her to do it; perhaps it had been the vow she took, or the earnest way Tomoyo looked at her, but she found herself fessing up. “The toy and the saucer are the same thing. It’s small because it’s actually an alien robot card I caught, part of a bigger group of cards that I accidently scattered and now I have to use my magical powers to gather them all up.” She rushed out.

Tomoyo stared at her. She blinked owlishly. “What? That’s…” Sakura winced, waiting for the explosion, “that’s… _amazing_!”

Sakura fell flat on her face. That had not been the reaction she was expecting.


	4. Chapter 4

Despite Optimus’ lack of a face, Sakura still felt he was staring at Tomoyo with incredulity as the girl was cooing over him and Cosmos, her eyes shining bright. She’d taken the explanation of aliens and magic rather well. Optimus coughed into his fist. “Miss, while your acceptance is welcoming, please reframe yourself from fawning. We are still soldiers and deserve your respect as such.”

Tomoyo blinked. She straightened up, her expression chastised. “Yes, I apologize for my behavior.” She bowed to him. “It’s just you’re very adorable, Optimus-san.”

Optimus tilted his head at the new honorific, but brushed it aside for now. “I’m aware of how my appearance looks.” He said dryly. He looked up at Sakura sternly. “I applaud your honesty and faith in your friend, but in the future please keep from telling anyone else about us. I fear for our safety as well as yours should the wrong person find out.”

Sakura shrank under the reprimand. It wasn’t even harsh or overly critical, but it made her feel small. Perhaps it was because despite Optimus’ high voice or cute looks that he was still a military officer and he commanded a certain presence. “You’re right, but now that Tomoyo-chan does know, she can help too.” She said optimistically. 

Tomoyo nodded enthusiastically, clapping her hands together as she smiled. “Of course I’ll help. Not only will I get to film Sakura-chan’s adventures, but to learn about an advanced alien race is truly something.”

Cosmos sighed. “I’m afraid we’re not very advanced at the moment. Besides my ability to transform, I can’t do much of anything.”

“You can still fly, much as you did before.” Optimus assured him. “Though speaking of discrepancies; Sakura, we must discuss this troubling occurrence at your school. You mentioned thrown furniture and cracked windows; was there anything else?”

Tomoyo blinked. “You think it’s one of these Clow Cards?”

“It very well could be.” Optimus replied seriously. “And given the damage, I hazard it could be a true Decepticon doing this.” He rubbed his chin. “Though it doesn’t make sense why they would hide during the day.”

“Maybe they’re just not used to humans.” Sakura offered. “Or would they have gained knowledge of this planet like you did, OP-chan?”

“It’s highly doubtful.” Optimus said dubiously, but then he looked at Cosmos. “Did you have any knowledge upon your awakening?”

Cosmos ‘hmm’ed thoughtfully. “No,” he said finally, “when I woke up I was confused and tried to tell myself I was just hallucinating-it…didn’t take very long to know it wasn’t a good idea.” 

Optimus rubbed his chin. “Then perhaps we should investigate what is happening at your school, Sakura.”

The girl though froze, her eyes widening. “You mean…now?” her eyes strayed to her window, where the sun was clearly setting through her window.

Optimus nodded. “Not many humans would be out, and it would give us the cover of darkness.” He paused when Sakura began twitching. “Is something wrong?”

“We can’t go to the school now!” she blurted, holding her hands fearfully to her chest. “There are ghosts there!” she quaked as she could already imagine one of those spooky cartoon ghosts sneaking up on them.

“Ghost?” Cosmos repeated. “What’s a ghost?”

“It’s a spirit of a dead person who has not passed on.” Tomoyo explained and Cosmos nodded. The dark-haired girl looked at Sakura. “You don’t have to be scared, you won’t be there alone.”

Sakura slumped down. “It’s just…I really don’t think it’s a good idea. What if it’s not a Decepticon? What if it _is_ a ghost?!”

“Sakura,” Optimus said, his tone stern but not unkind, “I understand you’re scared, but we cannot let that stop us from doing what’s right. This card has not caused destruction during the day, so it stands to reason it’s one of the cards that is only active at night.”

The brunette sighed. “I know what you say makes _sense_ , but…” she frowned at the window, the sky outside growing darker. She thought of how badly thrashed her classroom had been, of just what else this card was capable of damaging-if it was a Decepticon, would it eventually stop caring about hiding? 

Sakura’s eyes hardened in determination. “I don’t like this,” She stated, her voice wavering but she didn’t let it deter her, “but I don’t like the thought of what could happen if I don’t stop this card.” She hesitated, because she was still scared of the ghosts, but nodded firmly. “Then we should get going.”

Tomoyo clasped her hands together. “Oh, Sakura-chan, you’re so brave!” she grabbed the other girl’s hands and gave the same determined stare. “And I shall be there to witness-and film-your adventure as proof of your courage!”

Cosmos stared at her as Sakura laughed nervously, and the small mech looked at Optimus. “Are all humans like this?”

“I find its best to just nod and go along with it.” Optimus replied.

Sakura gently pried her hands away from Tomoyo. “You want to go too, Tomoyo-chan?” The girl just nodded excitedly. “Well, we should be going then.” She paused. _‘I can’t believe I just said we should be going to a haunted school!’_ This was for a Clow Card though, and she just needed to keep calm for that.

 _Then_ she could run away terrified. Optimus and Cosmos already thought they were weird, why disappoint them? 

\-------

Sakura bit her lip as she stared up past the gates to the school. She clutched the Clow Key under her poncho, with both Cosmos and Optimus floating at her sides, their gazes just as intent on the building. “It’s even creepier than I thought.”

Cosmos glanced at her. “It _is_ unsettling.” He shivered. “And not just because we’re here alone.”

Sakura nodded in agreement. She noticed Optimus had yet to look away, his eyes never leaving the building. “Do you sense something?”

“I…I _thought_ I did.” Optimus said, worry lacing his tone. “I can access memories that are not my own, am able to function with little more than direct sunlight, but yet I cannot utilize these powers- _especially_ with the moon out to dampen it.” He slumped, having the odd effect of _actually_ floating low.

The brunette sighed, reaching down to lift him back up. “It’s okay; we both just have a lot to learn.” Optimus stared at her, but nodded slowly.

The three of them tensed up as a black limousine began to pull up, followed by a large beige van. Optimus and Cosmos immediately ducked under Sakura’s poncho, and not a moment later two tall redheaded women got out of the limo and one opened the back seat, with Tomoyo sliding gracefully out.

Sakura’s eyes widened in amazement. _‘S-so cool!’_

One of the women knelt by Tomoyo as two more exited the van as the girl spoke. “I’ll call when I want to be picked up, but we shouldn’t be long.”

The woman nodded. “Very well, Tomoyo-hime.” 

Sakura blinked as the women got into the limo and it drove off. “Who-who were they?”

“My family’s bodyguards.” Tomoyo replied.

“Wow!” Sakura exclaimed, both Cosmos and Optimus zipping back up to be at eye-level with them. “I don’t know any other fourth graders who have bodyguards!” Tomoyo beamed at her.

Cosmos gazed at Tomoyo, and back at the fading limo. “Um, I’ve been wondering-why are there suffixes attached to your names?” he shrank into himself, twisting nervously. “I don’t mean to be rude, but it’s confusing since I want to know what it means.”

“Well, to be brief, ‘kun’ is for male, ‘chan’ is for female or familiarity, ‘san’ is polite.” Tomoyo explained. “It’s much more complicated, but I won’t overwhelm you.”

Cosmos nodded, but Optimus tilted his head. “And ‘hime’?”

Tomoyo smiled modestly. “It’s a word used for a high-ranked female-‘princess’ would be a roughly translated word.”

“Aw, so you are someone important?” Optimus questioned.

“Tomoyo-chan’s mother owns a toy company.” Sakura explained, smiling over at her friend. “One of the largest in the country, right?”

Tomoyo blushed. “Well, somewhere in that range.” She delicately cleared her throat. “But now that we’re here, you need to get into costume!”

Sakura jerked back, her jaw dropping. “What?!” she was too surprised to put up much of a fight as Tomoyo pulled her to the back of the van, her eyes widening when the door was pulled open and all different sorts of costumes hung on clothes racks. “W-whoa, where did you get all this?”

“I made them.” Tomoyo said sheepishly.

Cosmos peered around the cabin. “You made all this? It’s amazing!”

Optimus nodded. “Truly you are a superb craftsman.”

Tomoyo blushed harder. “Thank you.” She whispered graciously. She clasped Sakura’s hands, smiling at her. “Please? Will you let me film you in one of my outfits?”

Sakura felt her brow tick nervously. “Why?” she dragged out. 

“Because you’re just too cute and every magical needs a costume of course!” Tomoyo answered, a passionate fire burning in her eyes. “It’s to know that you’re there to take on whatever threat comes your way.”

Sakura’s smile began to freeze. That’s right, potentially dangerous Decepticon inside the school-ready to-ready to _kill_ her- “I can’t do this!” she wailed and clutched at her pigtails. “How am I supposed to capture this Decepticon? What if it really is a ghost-what if-”

“Sakura!” The girl’s mouth snapped shut, her eyes looking directly into Optimus’ as he floated in front of her. “Remember, you _are _capable, you only need to rise above your limitations to achieve it. I believe you can do it, remember? Will you believe in yourself?”__

__Sakura stared at him. Her heart still raced, blood rushing through her ears, but she felt a surge of determination brought on by his words. She was scared, she was _sooo _scared, but…but…she glanced by Optimus at Cosmos, who waved, and Tomoyo, who smiled gently-if they could think she was able, then…then why was it so hard for it to stick with her?___ _

_____‘Aliens, magic, scary robots, I just need to remember that I’m not doing this alone. _’ Sakura thought. She breathed in deeply to calm herself. It didn’t resolve everything, but for the moment it was enough to give her confidence. “O-okay.”__ _ _ _ _

______Tomoyo clapped her hands. “Terrific!” she grabbed Sakura by the hand and climbed up into the van, pulling the brunette in with her and closed the doors._ _ _ _ _ _

______Cosmos looked at Optimus, bewildered despite the facemask. “Tomoyo sure is excitable, isn’t she?”_ _ _ _ _ _

______Optimus nodded. “True, but perhaps she’s certainly eager to help. _And _we mustn’t forget she took to our existence rather well-aside from the fawning.”___ _ _ _ _ _

________“Honestly I didn’t mind the fawning.” Cosmos admitted sheepishly. “It’s kinda nice being seen as cute for a change.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Optimus gazed at him sadly. “Cosmos…”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________The saucer mech only shook his head. “No, it’s okay, we should focus on helping Sakura.” The Autobot leader seemed ready to continue, but the door opening got their attention._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Tomoyo hopped out, taking her camera from her bag and turned the camera to the cabin. Sakura tugged on the hem of her cape, shifting nervously before jumping onto the ground. She flushed and self-consciously adjusted her hat._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________“Do I really have to wear _this_ one? It could get cold out soon!” Sakura said._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________“Don’t worry, there’s only going to be a wind chill tomorrow night.” Tomoyo assured her, smiling as the camera light blinked on. “And you look so adorable! Doesn’t she?”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________“It’s a very…interesting outfit.” Optimus didn’t sound as though he knew what to make of it, but went along with it anyway._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________“I like the cape.” Cosmos said simply._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Tomoyo beamed. “Glad you think so, because when I picked out Sakura-chan’s outfit, I made these up for you two.” She used her free hand to fish around her bag, and pulled out two tiny red capes._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Cosmos eagerly wrapped his around his neck. “Super Cosmos!” he stood heroically with his stubby servos on his hips, and Sakura felt some of the tension leave her smile._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Optimus stared down at the fabric, but appreciated the effort Tomoyo had gone too in order to make them all feel like they _were_ in this together. “Thank you, Tomoyo.” He said, and Cosmos chimed in his gratitude as well._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Tomoyo smiled at him. “You’re welcome.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Sakura wished she could just stay here and play superheroes with Cosmos, but she took off her key and stepped to the side. She was still here for a reason after all. “The key which hides the power of the dark,” a glowing circle with runes appeared under her, “show your true form before me. I, Sakura, command you under our contract-release!”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________The key glowed, and began to expand until Sakura grasped it tightly, the glow and howling wind fading away to reveal the sealing wand._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________“Simply amazing.” Tomoyo breathed._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Sakura smiled, but it turned into a frown when abruptly, a loud shot rang out further into the school. A bright bolt of multi-colored energy zapped into the sky. “It looks like the Decepticon knows we’re here.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________“Prepare yourself, Cosmos.” Optimus said sternly, and the saucer mech nodded._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________“Right, though, how are we getting in?” Cosmos questioned. “I know we can fly over, so do we just let Sakura and Tomoyo in from that side?” Optimus stiffened, clearly not having been on the uptake._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________“It’s okay,” Tomoyo answered instead, “I have a key.” She produced one from her purse, and unlocked the gate. “I sometimes stay late after school to rehearse for the choir, and need to lock up when I’m done.” She explained and pushed open the fence._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________“Wow, that’s really something.” Sakura said with surprise, but shook her head as another shot rang out, crashing following. “Come on, let’s go!”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________The small group made their way to the sound, the noises growing louder the closer they got, following the streaks flying into the air until they turned the corner and found themselves at the soccer field-only to stop dead at the sight._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Sakura’s eyes widened. It wasn’t one card-it was _two _.___ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________A blue and red bot ducked into the soccer net, ripping it off the ground and threw it into the air. A flyer that looked eerily like Skywarp aside from its blue and black paint lifted a hand and that same multi-colored beam blasted through the net posts after zipping out from his palm. The flyer ducked out of the way as bits of the net splintered off, but jerked back when one of the posts cuffed him on the arm._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________Tomoyo gasped. “Sakura-chan, look!”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________The brunette saw the part of the net which hit the flyer, and her eyes widened. Blue paint that matched the flier’s was streaked across it. “He’s the one who left those paint transfers.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________“Optimus, is…is that who I think it is?” Cosmos asked nervously._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________“I believe so.” Optimus said gravely. Sakura looked up at him in frightened confusion. “It _is_ a Decepticon,” he affirmed, “but…I’m not sure I recognize the other-watch out!”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________Sakura jumped, startled, but while Optimus had been talking, that red and blue bot dove _through_ the bleachers on the other side of the field as though it were nothing. Just as easily, it jumped back through, hands gripping the bottom of the bleacher, and with one sharp pull, wood splintered as a chunk of the seating came off. The seat was then promptly tossed up at the flyer, which it avoided by neatly sidestepping the debris._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________Only for it to immediately whirl around at the shout. Red eyes widened when it saw the two floating plush toys, but then it noticed the bleacher heading straight for the human sparklings with them._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________Sakura felt her stomach drop, she could dodge it thanks to her cheerleading training, but Tomoyo wasn’t that quick. With little thought, Sakura grabbed Tomoyo and curled protectively around her. She braced herself for the hit-flinching when a _crack_ of crunching wood rang out, but Sakura was confused as to why there was no back breaking pain._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________The brunette slowly unfurled from Tomoyo, and both girls gasped when standing behind them, was the blue flyer. It was hunched over, arms spread and its teeth were gritted tightly-Sakura saw the broken bleacher fragments on the ground just behind the flyer, and she realized with some incredulity that the _Decepticon_ saved them._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________The flyer straightened back up, arms falling to its sides. Its red eyes roved over them, narrowed its gaze before nodding to itself-as though checking they were okay-and then glared at Optimus. “What were you _thinking?_ ” it demanded, voice masculine with an accent that Sakura had only heard on those American shows which got translated into Japanese. New…something. “And here I thought you cared about human lives!”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________“What?” Optimus blinked in confusion. “I do care, but why do _you?_ Decepticons aren’t exactly known for their tolerance of organic races.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________The flyer frowned. “Organic races, why don’t you just call them humans? It’s like you forgot how to-” he stopped, eyes narrowing._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________“Sir, his…his _wings_.” Cosmos whispered. Sakura frowned, but when her eyes saw the decal on the flyer’s wings, they widened. Two red badges stood out, and not the purple ones._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________“You said he was a Decepticon.” Sakura said. “Or…or is this the cards aligning themselves?”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________“I am _not_ an Autobot.” The robot said fiercely. “But nor am I a Decepticon-not anymore.” He glanced at a wing. “Just woke up with these things on me.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________Sakura furrowed her brow, but saw the red and blue bot trying to tear out another piece of the bleacher. “Stop!” she put herself between the two robots, even as Optimus grabbed her shoulder._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________“This is not a wise decision, fall back.” He ordered and tried uselessly pulling her back._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________Sakura shook her head, not budging for an instant, and saw that the other card had a red badge on his chest too. “Why are you both fighting? You’re on the same side!”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________“No we’re not!” The red and blue bot snapped, his accent thicker in anger. He pointed accusingly at the flyer. “He’s nothing but a murderer, and so is anyone else who wears the Decepticon badge!”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________“What about the Autobots who are forced to wear it?” Sakura asked. The other bot froze. “Or what if a Decepticon is wearing an Autobot one?”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________“Please, listen to reason.” Optimus added, but the bot shook his head._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________“You can’t give me orders anymore, you’re not _my_ superior-you _left!_ ” he retorted. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________“W-what?” Optimus appeared so out of his depth that it was worrying. “The Autobots? I would never abandon our ‘cause.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________The bot snorted. “The end of the war certainly made it easy for you.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________“End of the…” Optimus trailed off. “Truly, it’s over? How long have I been asleep for?”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________The red and blue bot tensed up, eyes narrowing in a yellow facemask. “You don’t _know?_ ” And with little more than a suspicious glare, the bot crouched low and began sinking into the ground._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________“Wait!” Sakura called, but bot was gone. She looked at Optimus, who only stared back with the same worry reflected in his eyes._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________“So it’s true.” The blue flyer said sullenly. “You really have no idea about what’s going on?”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________Optimus glanced over at the bot. “I confess I do not, but from my memories you _were_ a Decepticon the last time I saw you.” He sighed heavily. “Something is very strange about this.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________“Strange about the whole situation.” The flyer muttered._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________“Excuse me.” Tomoyo said and everyone glanced at her, but her gaze was locked on the blue robot. “Thank you for protecting us, Mecha-san.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________For a moment the blue bot looked confused, but shook his head ruefully. “Name’s Thundercracker. And don’t mention it, but what are you two doing out here anyway? It’s late out; sparklings shouldn’t be running out at night-‘specially alone.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________“Well, you see, we came here because our school was vandalized this morning.” Sakura explained._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________“It was you though, wasn’t it?” Cosmos didn’t sound accusing, only resigned._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________The bot nodded. “Not long after I wake up, we and that whacko run into each other. He starts demanding what I’m doing with these badges, and when I say I don’t know-he just flips his lid and starts throwing things at me!” he shook his head roughly. “Then I start firing energy beams and decide to get the pit- _heck_ out of there. Spent the whole day avoiding him, and he found me not long before you got here.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________Sakura was deeply confused. She’d expected to find a Decepticon that would attack them on sight, but instead this ‘Decepticon’ had saved them from the ‘good robot’. Although, she hadn’t shown him the staff yet. “So, um, will you let me catch you?” she asked tentatively, remembering how Skywarp reacted to the staff._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________The blue robot glanced at it, but his expression was unimpressed. “Yeah- _no_. Might not be a Decepticon, but there’s no way I’m working with Autobots.” He jumped into the air, and Sakura saw him backing out of sight. “Come and catch me after you’ve got some real fire power!”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________Sakura’s eyes widened when he transformed and took off like a rocket. She felt her heart sink when he became nothing more than a speck in the distance. The truth of the matter settled over her. “I…I have nothing to show for this, do I? I-I failed.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________Tomoyo put her camera away, and immediately went to Sakura’s side. “That’s not true, you found out what was the behind the attack, and that there’s a bigger mystery going on.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________Sakura didn’t cheer up though. “You said I was a magical girl, but I don’t feel much like one.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________“Nobody can win all the time.” Optimus said gently, and patted her shoulder. “There may be some battles you won’t win, or others that will cost you, but the point is to never let those setbacks keep you from your goal.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________“They might have left, but you stopped it from being a whole lot worse.” Cosmos chimed in. “ _And_ you found out Thundercracker might not be that tough to catch next time if he just wants you to get stronger.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________Sakura looked at each other, seeing their encouraging gestures. She managed a weak smile, as even though this was a blow to her confidence, they were right._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________She could do better-she _would_ do better._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _


End file.
